A Word with Alumni

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Cindra Stackhouse Taetzsch ’82

Photo by Mike Hudson

Every May at Commencement, I brag about you when I welcome our newest graduates into the Alumni Association. I tell them they are joining one of the strongest and most loyal alumni networks in the world. How can I make that claim? Partly through data (reunion attendance, email open rates, survey responses, LinkedIn activity) and partly because I’ve been in this role for a long time and I know that you generously open your homes and your hearts to alumni, connect through the LinkedIn alumni network, post college memories on our Alumni Association Facebook page . . . and thousands of you took time in February to complete a VERY long survey. Thank you!

Here are a few things we learned from the initial survey results:

• You named several things that are important for alumni to do, including identifying job opportunities for graduates, providing financial support for your alma mater, and serving as ambassadors promoting Wheaton.
• Your Wheaton College education prepared you well for further graduate education, helped you better understand biblical perspectives, and deepened your commitment to personal development.
• Most of you read Wheaton magazine and our emails (good to know!).
• You would welcome more invitations to alumni events and a greater Wheaton presence on social media.

You didn’t just check the boxes. Many of you answered open-ended questions about the things that are most important to you about being an alumna/us and told us what Wheaton College can do for you in the next 5–10 years. Just like I did after the 2017 survey, I will read every word and meet with the Alumni Association Board of Directors and Alumni Engagement team to see what we can learn and how we can do better.

The survey company is analyzing the data, and we will report more fully in a future issue of Wheaton magazine. We understand that your time is very valuable and, on behalf of everyone at Wheaton College, thank you for giving us your time and your thoughts. We don’t take it—or you—for granted.